Century 21 Department Store

"We were looking for a material that could effectively provide screening, fall protection and ventilation. Cambridge's mesh performed all of these functions while visually offering a unique in-and-out pattern to give the flat wall texture and relief, enhancing our design concept." - Edward Bredow, SBLM Architects

Location: Brooklyn, New York, USA

Year Completed: 2009

End Use: Corporate, Parking Garage, Retail

Architect: SBLM Architects - New York, NY

General Contractor: E.W. Howell Co., LLC - Plainview, NY

Installer: E.W. Howell Co., LLC - Plainview, NY

Owner: Century 21 Department Stores

Application

Century 21 is a one-of-a-kind retail destination famous for its high-end designer merchandise. In the spirit of this style and attention to all-things aesthetic, Century 21 chose clean and sophisticated metal fabric as exterior cladding for its brand new parking garage serving its Brooklyn, NY location.

The Cambridge architectural mesh system chicly dresses the structure's exterior in vertical panels that slightly undulate, adding unique texture and flow to the prominent garage.

Function

The mesh system specified for the Century 21 parking garage provides a building facade with strength and transparency. Metal fabric acts as a safety barrier for fall protection, but its open-yet-closed nature allows it to facilitate ventilation and views as well. The results are distinct functional capabilities in the form of distinct visual characteristics.

By promoting improved air quality through increased ventilation, the mesh system reduces the reliance on energy-consuming HVAC systems. Additionally, all materials used in are engineered to last a lifetime with minimal maintenance. Once these materials, which feature high volumes of recycled content, reach the end of their lifecycle, they can be easily recycled into the next generation of architectural mesh. Cambridge Architectural is an active member of the USGBC®, and helps architects take maximum advantage of LEED credit through the many categories in which architectural mesh systems apply.